News & Features

Antec Enters the Home Audio Business with SoundScience rockus 3D | 2.1 Speaker System

3D TV is all the rage right now but what about 3D sound? That’s where Antec’s new SoundScience ruckus 3D/2.1 speaker system comes in. The rockus™ 3D | 2.1 speaker system creates a personal home theater experience that brings the power and realism of 3D audio together with the clarity and accuracy of high-fidelity music.  3Dsst™, soundscience’s 3D technology, actively analyzes incoming stereo audio signals and intelligently places them into a 3D sound field. The results are a personal theater experience with realistic, immersive 3D sound for your movies and games from 2.1 speakers – whether it’s the impact of…


One Month Later, Verizon Owns 12% of the iPhone Market

Last month I wrote about a new tracker that shows the comparative data used by the iPhone on Verizon and AT&T and uses that as a comparison for the number of active phones. The initial data set was likely skewed by the ‘new user effect’ of folks over-using their data plan as they signed up for the new Verizon iPhone. A month later, however, it is clear that regardless of non-existent retail lines at launch, there have been HUGE Verizon iPhone sales, and folks are making great use of those phones. The latest data shows Verizon with a greater than…


Kobo’s “Spin to Win” Contest

The good folks at Kobo LOVE contests. It seems every month they have a new promotion out there, and they clearly have fun making each one more interesting than just clicking a link. This time it’s a spin-the-wheel type contest like at the Jersey shore, but without the grease and Axe Body Spray odor. You can win everything from discount coupons to ebook readers to the chance at staying in a super-nice hotel. Sure beats just clicking “like” on a Facebook page! Here are the full details from Kobo’s blog, and you can enter daily through March 20th. Good luck,…


U-Bar- Mounts Your iPad 2 on the Wall and a Whole Lot More

One of the reasons I considered keeping my first generation iPad now that I have an iPad 2 in hand is the fact that I have a host of different methods for securing the original iPad to the wall, on my treadmill and more. The range of accessories I have at my disposal for the first generation device add a tremendous degree of useful functionality to it. While I have no doubt the same options will be available for the iPad 2 they currently aren’t on the market. No surprise since the new version only became available last week. Well,…



Apple’s iPad 2’s Camera Placement and Software Features Show Apple Still “Thinks Different”

(image courtesy of Apple) Apple’s iPad 2 adds new hardware, including a front and back camera. What is interesting is the difference in where and how their front facing camera works, compared with other upcoming tablet offerings. Apple, in typical Apple fashion, was “thinking different”. Rumors that Apple would be adding front and back camera to the iPad 2 were circulating for months, and now we know it is true. Apple almost had to put both cameras in, as all other tablet manufacturers are putting them in. It’s essentially become a “required” feature. So, what makes Apple’s approach so different…


The 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami: How You Can Help

all photos courtesy of mlive.com unless otherwise noted This morning many of us awoke to news of the 8.9-magnitude earthquake that had struck Japan’s northeast coast at 2:46:23 p.m., their local time. Aftershocks, tsunamis, fires, mudslides, flooding and other resulting disasters have been (and are still being) reported nonstop today from locations affected, including our own west coast. When massive disasters occur, I think that people’s first reaction is generally to look at what’s happened, reeling as feelings of shock and awe threaten to overwhelm. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=s1uO47ZJ-Ws But now that we’ve had a moment to take it all in, and as…


Aligata Leather Releases New Premium Leather Products to Protect Your Gear in Style

One of the best things about being involved in this blogging community is that you never know who you are going to meet along the way. That is certainly the case with our friend Tom from Aligata leather. Shortly after the iPad was released, I did a review of a number of iPad folio cases. Shortly thereafter we received an email from Tom. He told us he was designing a simple but premium leather folio for the iPad, and he wanted to know if we wanted to take a look. Shortly thereafter Judie and I received sample of them. We…


Facebook to Enter Video Streaming

I admit, I’m not a big Facebook-er. I use it as a necessary evil, not a destination site. But it looks like the folks who brought us the “like” button are taking their insinuation into our lives a step farther; now they’re going to stream video too! According to the Wall Street Journal, Warner Brothers is floating a trial balloon in the form of of “The Dark Knight”. Rather than stream it through a subscription service like Netflix, you’ll be able to rent “The Dark Knight” on Facebook for 30 credits (or $3.00). While it’s only one movie, it’s enough…


New 9/11 Footage from NYC Police Helicopter Released

For many, the images of the World Trade Center bring back the all-too-real horrors of the events of nearly a decade ago. I have personal connections to those lost in the attacks, as do many people I know in the New York / New England region. By now I had assumed everything was released, but apparently NIST had some video it was studying that was recently released under a Freedom of Information Act request. I read about this first on the Guardian this morning, who had a few reports including this clip and summary text: New York – New video…


The Phosphor Appear Watch Combines Retro Bling with Cool Tech

I’ve been trying to wrap my head around how a watch that “[miniaturizes] the “flip-dot” technology found in bus signs and train depots” works, because it just seems so fantastically futuristic and yet so retro at the same time. What I do know is that Phosphor, the company behind the intriguing eInk watches we previously reviewed, has just released a big, bold and more than a little bit blingy watch that appeals to me on several levels. I like watching the crystals flip over to show the time, the seconds, or nothing at all in these .gif’s, so I can…


Skooba Design Launches Harmony Women’s Bag Collection

Skooba Design makes some great bags for carrying your gear. Actually, that’s not quite right. They make great bags for carrying just about anything you need to carry with you. And now there is a whole new way that Skooba is making it possible for women to carry their stuff in style! Skooba’s new Harmony collection “blend the look, fashion and quality of a high-end tote or handbag with the capacity and protection of a laptop bag”. Sure they are designed with laptops in mind but they will work well for just about anything you need to take with you….


Nanodots Adds Even More Fun to the Cool Magnetic Dots of Fun

Nanodots are fun all by themselves.  I love playing with these.  It’s almost relaxing.  It’s hard to believe that they have figured out yet another way to make them fun with a new product that makes it more fun to build with Nanodots.  The Nanopad with FeWeave technology is a nice pad to use when you are building with Nanodots that also let’s you play a game with your Nanodots.  Available in 16 inch for $19.99 and 26 inch for $29.99.  For more on the Nanopad, head over to the product page on thenanodots.com.  They are expected to show up…


SPICE: 40 Years of Open-Source, Circuit Simulation Goodness

If you ever designed a circuit you used SPICE … or you never really designed a circuit. When we think ‘open source’ we think Linux or Android or some other recent operating system endeavors. But imagine for a second that not just these systems but the hardware used to run them is all derived from circuits designed and analysed using an open source program created as a student project back in 1969! Here is a quick summary showing why SPICE is so important to electrical engineers, which is inscribed on a plaque at UC Berkeley’s Corey Hall which was dedicated…


CNN and Cadillac Introduce ‘Cadillac Business Unusual’

Innovation can lead to great things. That is the concept behind a new series from CNN and Cadillac called “Cadillac Business Unusual” that debuted Feb. 28. Fearlessly individual.?Unfazed by risk.?Relentlessly Optimistic. Cadillac salutes business visionaries who are using their passion, ingenuity and drive to set new standards of success. Chris Hardwick hosts a road trip across America as he meets entrepreneurs who’ve turned bold dreams into business triumphs. Cadillac Business Unusual uncovers unique stories of entrepreneurial spirit, and the risk and passion that accompanies them. Host Chris Hardwick (Nerdist.com) also writes for Wired Magazine and acts for film and television….


End of an Era: Frank Buckles, Last World War I Veteran, Dies at 110

I grew up in a time where not only were military actions and anything related to the government held in disdain and mistrust, but soldiers themselves were treated poorly by much of the public. So regardless of any feelings I have about whatever military or government actions happen in any given year, I love that there is a great public appreciation for our soldiers, the men and women who put their lives on the line in service to our nation. So much attention has been paid to World War II in recent years, from ‘The Greatest Generation’, to school visits…


Altec Lansing Takes Us Behind the Scenes: Creating a Speaker Prototype

When I visited Altec Lansing’s headquarters back in January I was able to spend some time in the back area of the complex where the company develops their speakers. I didn’t write a great deal about it at the time because I had signed an NDA, and I wanted to make sure that I didn’t mistakenly share anything that I shouldn’t have. [That’s how we do things here at Gear Diary] Well, I can now share with you a good deal of what I was able to see in January because a video of Dave Burke, an Altec Lansing acoustics…


Honeycomb’s Strawman

I’ve noticed a troubling and confusing theme in reviews and comments about Google’s new OS, Honeycomb. It seems everyone thinks it’s great, but there’s an anti-Xoom, anti-Honeycomb meme that keeps appearing about the lack of Honeycomb-specific apps in the Marketplace. This is what’s called a “Straw man” argument. Rather than argue Honeycomb on its actual merits, pros and cons, they’re trotting out something that sounds awful (Honeycomb has very few apps) and using it as a distraction. Now, I can’t comment too deeply on Honeycomb, but I’ve played around with Android on a tablet with a rooted NOOKcolor, and I…


Amazon to Prime Members: Get Streaming

It was rumored to be coming, Michael posted on it the other day and this morning Amazon sent a blast of emails to announce that the switch had been flipped on video streaming for its Amazon Prime members. The streaming service launches with just 5000 television shows and movies, but since it is absolutely free to Amazon Prime members I’m not complaining. For those who already pay for Amazon Prime service, it is a nice value-added feature. For those who do not have Amazon Prime, it is another reason to consider it. For those people who have a Netflix subscription…


Gear Diary Quickie: Leave it to the Libertarians!

This isn’t a political ad or statement or anything else inflammatory … just one of those images that stops you in your tracks. In theory, I could be well suited as a (small ‘l’) libertarian – I’m a fiscal conservative and a social liberal. But as was shown years ago, that is pretty much the makeup of the majority of Americans who consider themselves ‘moderate’ and don’t strongly align with either major party (or the nut-jobs who front the (capital ‘L’) Libertarian Party). Back in Massachusetts at one point several years ago I met the two folks who have gone…


Sonance Wants to Provide Your Sound Garden

So you didn’t get picked for the latest episode of Yard Crashers. No worries, just record a bunch of episodes and copy what projects and techniques you fancy. And when it comes time for an outdoor sound system that blends into your suburban jungle, Sonance has you covered. Sonance, the technology leader that introduced the world’s first in-wall loudspeaker is now shipping the acclaimed Sonance Landscape Series that debuted recently. The new 70V Sonance Landscape Series system of two-way satellite speakers and in-ground subwoofer has been designed with a long life UV stable material to withstand extreme weather. The new…